First Look: Paul Giamatti as The Rhino from 'Amazing Spider-Man 2'

Well, maybe not the Rhino yet, but at least in character as the guy who becomes The Rhino. One of director Marc Webb's latest set photo tweets (@marcw) gives us a first look at actor Paul Giamatti playing Aleksei Sytsevich in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The shot shows Giamatti screaming while driving some truck, with some funky tattoos on his arms and head. The tweet's original message was written in Russian, but Webb has reposted it in English: "Say hello to Aleksei Sytsevich." Yep, that's definitely him, he becomes The Rhino. Two big comic book villains in the next Spidey already? Things are heating up for the webhead.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is directed by Marc Webb and written by Jeff Pinker, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds, life is busy between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone), high school graduation can't come quickly enough. Peter hasn't forgotten the promise he made to Gwen's father to protect her by staying away, but that's a promise he just can't keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past. Sony will release Amazing Spider-Man 2 in theaters next summer on May 2nd, 2014. Look good?

Why call it "as Rhino" then? It's misleading. That's like showing me a preview for an actress playing Angelina Jolie and the photo is Jon Voight's ballsack.
... annnnywayy... I digress. Holding back opinions for now.

What if the Mandarin is still behind all of the events in each movie and the Ben Kinsley character is another misdirection? the real Mandarin will show up in a future film. u heard it here first, on firstshowing.net

TheRagingCajun

He is originally a thug you know. He morphs later on. Read the comics a bit will y'a sweety...

He looks pretty intense. Him taking this seriously will really help this movie, and it needs that. Most people I talk to didn't like ASM, including myself.
It was all the CG though for me. Not having lizard might help that, we'll see how Electro goes.

Fidel Reyes

The only drag I had was that there should have been more conflict between the Lizard and Connors himself, like to have him in an internal battle with both personalities, kind of like Gollum in LoTR. I would have like to see that whole lizard is the villain but Dr.Connors isn't factor into it. And yeah you're right it had a lot of CG.

JBrotsis

Like a Dr. Jekel/Mr. Hyde character. I like where your head's at.

Fidel Reyes

I think Rhys Ifans had said that his character/performance was inspired from Dr. Jekel/Mr. Hyde and that had actually pumped me up before I watched the film, yeah I don't want to say that he lied, but it wasn't like that at all, it was different...

So... Basically, this pic is screaming at me, "are you f-ing serious with this script? cuz I'm still trying to recover from the last one". Maybe this time instead of all the crane operators in the city helping out... It'll be the port authority making sure spidery can get back into the city. Smh

Can't we just have the bad guys with their super powers from the start? Is it really necessary to see how they ended up with them? Maybe this is an unfair point because they're not really super villains (just villains), but Nolan's Batman movies have their villains already established. You don't see how Bane got his mask; well, they explain it but not much else and they don't begin the movie with it. The Joker is a complete mystery, they don't lay it out how he became a mental psychopath. Can't we just have Rhino smashing walls with his head one minute in and skip the transformation? I understand it's a device to show some form of character development but that didn't work that well with Dr. Connors/Lizard. Almost all superhero films have the villain's inception but it's been done to death. I guess I just want something different. Cut to the chase and focus on action.

N.

I too was thinking the exact same thing the other day I for one am excited for this film but it would be nice to see an established villain for once it would set things in motion a lot faster and add more to the character in a way because of the slight mystery of their background but Nolan at this time is the only one who has been doing that as of recent as you have clearly pointed out.

Yeah that's my main concern just as long as its good! Well that and there are two villains and the villain they had in the first one of this reboot series didn't have enough screen time/motivation well he was motivated but it wasn't exacuted as well as it should of been I just hope they can handle two villains in one movie!

Fidel Reyes

It would be cool to already have the Rhino with powers from the beginning and it's just mentioned that he was an experiment gone wrong, but I don't think it will be the case, anyways I think these two villains will bring something new to the table and by the looks of things they already established Spidey's origin so they have more liberty now to let their imaginations run loose.

Isildur_of_Numenor

I agree the sequel looks promising if just for the fact that there are two never-before-seen villains and they got the origin story out of the way, as you said; not that it's a bad thing but in this case it was unnecessary as it was already done by Raimi, and better in my opinion. If anything this sequel is the real test for the significance of The Amazing Spider-Man series.

Fidel Reyes

Could not have said it better myself.

Isildur_of_Numenor

You actually did. In your first reply.

Fidel Reyes

Well we shall end this good discussion with a handshake, hopefully we can talk about more topics in the future as well.

Tyrell Antonio

I'm thinking he has a really strong truck. He got his name "The Rhino" because red lights and other vehicles are not obstacles to him. lol iono

Ehsan Davodi

I'm worried about this project , First ASM was atmospheric but perfunctory , mild and with cheesy special effects. Yes , vision was dark but without any depth. A villain doesn't need just bold head or roaring mouth , but need heart , BLACK F-KING HEART and also need Strategy , Mind , Soul and of course CHARACTERIZATION. I hope web surprise me.
ANYWAY , I LOVE THIS PIC

Fidel Reyes

I agree, The lizard seemed to one dimensional in some aspect there wasn't too much conflict within him. As far as the characters I liked the chemistry, and I particularly liked how in this one they showed Peter's intellect more, not to mention that he seemed more driven to become Spider-Man, I felt he had more reason and his personal vendetta really played into that aspect. Anyways, I think Elektro will bring something different to the table, so will Rhino, but for now we just sit back and wait and see what Mr. Webb has in store for us.

I still am blown' away that people liked that previews Turd. I mean, people are just so so happy with mediocre films these days. Not a SM fan anyways and I thought Garfield was terrible. But...of course it made money so roll on another 'amazing' *ahm* SM movie...meh

Fidel Reyes

*previous
Garfield was terrible?
He was better at portraying Peter Parker, in the comics Perter Parker is no goofy, geeky"raindrops are falling on my head" kind of kid, he's smart, outcast-ed sarcastic, confident, and carries around guilt, his version of SM (excluding the skateboarding stuff) was actually more loyal to the source material than the Peter Parker Tobey Maguire portrayed. I don't understand why people think Peter Parker is supposed to be all geeky and goofy because he's not (at least not after he gains his powers.
Now with some other stuff like The Lizard, well... I really can't defend the film.

Someone cue Dr. Cox "Wrong" Peter was the epitome of Geeky in the original/good comics. God Marvel ruined everything with their ultimate's crap. Peter was never a skate rat with a chip on his shoulder. Man I cant wait till Marvel gets spidey back.

Fidel Reyes

Okay, let me cue Dr. Cox: "Wrong"
Actually he was a confident fellow in the original comics
After the spider bite Peter gained a great deal of self confidence and it was shown in the form of his first girlfriend Betty Brant. He later on went to abandon his glasses and beat up Flash Thompson in front of his entire class. Peter Parker graduated with so much awards and achievements especially because of his knowledge in science, but when he graduated from Midtown High top of his class, highest GPA in Midtown High history if I am not mistaken, in 1965, Liz Allen, who was at the time the most popular girl in peter's high school, actually had a crush on him. Then in college Peter spent most of his time with Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson whom both wanted to be with him, yeah WOW that sure doesn't sound like he was the epitome of geeky. Yes Peter Parker is extremely smart but he is no book worm or epitome of geeky, he did go on to become quite a confident young fellow.
Yeah I'm geeky I know my comics, especially Spider-Man since he is my favorite superhero, but that doesn't make me a complete geek, just like knowing science didn't make Peter a complete geek.
But I do agree with you in the fact that Marvel needs to get back Spidey and the fact that Peter was never a skater, and I do agree I'm not too keen about the Ultimate's either, as a matter of fact I don't know how Peter Parker is in those comics since they never catched my eye, I just read that they ended up killing him to bring in a character for minorities(I'm Mexican American) and yeah them Killing Peter(even if it was the ultimate one) so that they could bring a "minority friendly" Spider-Man pissed me off it just seemed unnecessary and stupid, minorities don't need a character who is their race to relate to them, and made me all the more be less interested in the Ultimate comics.

fan

The ultimate comics were actually quite well done (i only read the first 80 or so). They did something a spider-man comic hadn't done in decades create a fresh take on spider man, I kind of think of it like skyfall (the new james bond) A modern take of a classic hero yet paying a lot of homage to the original They did kill him off but im sure plenty other series just brought him back. The minority thing also is i think a good thing. I'm white but I think if I was still a kid it would make a big difference to me seeing a kid of my ethnicity deciding to be a hero. That alone won't make a great comic but again they have to add something otherwise it just a repeat of the same thing. I haven't read the new "minority" spider-man so it could be trash but I kind of enjoyed the premise. I still think the skater thing was a good idea but its so minor who cares?

Fidel Reyes

I don't care about the Skater(because honestly it did fit the Peter Parker outcast premise, and the definition of nerdy and out casted changes over time so in fact it was a precise depiction of nowadays, I know since I'm a senior just as Peter Parker is and sometimes I do feel like him(like Andrew's portrayal) ) I just simply stated he wasn't like that in the original comics (which is cool you know, if it were translated all the same it would not be fresh) and yes the movies have elements from all comics, I just guess the ultimate comics don't intrigue me because I find the whole having another Marvel Earth premise is freaky(yeah and I don't know why it freaks me out hahahaha) ,it just didn't grasp my attention too much. And well honestly I think that just making up a new superhero who's latino/african american would have been a better way to connect than to kill off the character who is probably the most recognized Marvel character. But that's just me, some of my friends agree as well, because as kids we all related to these characters no matter the race, these superheroes show courage and strength, struggles, humanity, and the will to sacrifice their own desires for the greater good; and it was a good intention to change the character's race, but at the same time we're all like, are they doing this to be greedy and hope to sell more comics to minorities?

All that stuff you mentioned comes in later, he was the geek in his school, and when he got his powers he spent most of his time trying to make money, heck most of the fight with villains back then was some villain noticing spidey and thinking he's not stopping me or he's not so tough, most of the time he didn't know they were around, he was just trying to get to a gig or whatever money making skeem he came up with. Hell uncle Ben's death hardly phased him, Even the Fantastic Four made some wild assumptions about him too. So yeah I know what I'm talking about.

Fidel Reyes

All that stuff you mentioned does happen, and yes he was a geek in school I can't recall which nickname they gave him, but it was something like book worm but I don't remember correctly and Flash used to call him Puny Parker, I remember Peter had so much resentment and vowed to prove them wrong, and yeah I agree he was geeky and nerdy and he even had the image but you have to admit that after he got his powers he did gain a great deal of confidence and changed some stuff about himself. But I think uncle Ben's death did keep him with guilt but I don't think that played out later but I can't say I don't remember in which exact storyline it happened but I do get what you're trying to say, and yes he was geeky, but he wasn't that big of a geek as he originally was after the bite.
I'm a big time spidey fan, hell I even have one of the issues in which the (now retired) villain Jack o'Lantern comes out, but I don't remember what assumptions the F4 had about him, would you mind telling me?

From what I remember they thought he was responsible for something a villain had done, they caught him and had him locked up for a little bit, I cant remember specifics it's been awhile since I've read that one.

Fidel Reyes

Oh ok, the one I've always been interested to read is the one in which a gangster wants to take aunt May because he almost married her when they were younger.

First of all firstshowing thank you for giving us the best up to date news on this stuff.Spoilers
Ok since we are all giving our opinions on this i thought I'd share mine as well.
This is coming from a guy who has grown up reading all the spider-man comics (old and new), watched most of the tv shows, and all of the movies so i am a bit pro spider man bias. First ASM. I am not sure what cgi is being complained about? the lizard, the web slinging, the combat, or that there was just to much of it? I'll agree the lizard looked a little odd but the action scenes were fluid, fast, and most importantly clear. It was always easy to tell what was going on. While there was more cgi in the newer film there also dialogue scenes that had so much weight to them compared to the previous spi-man films (and even compared to the dark knight) Some examples would be uncle bens final talk with peter (they managed to get the power responsibility talk nailed without actually uttering the classic phrase). Other great speeches is the dinner table with the Staceys in which Captain Stacey makes Peter realize that he wasn't being a hero he was after vengeance (followed by the great bridge scene and peter staring at the spider man mask in his room realizing what he has the power to do, save innocent lives like the most important one he failed) Finally Uncle Bens voice recording explaining to peter that he can change the world he just has to figure out how to use his gifts was so amazing.
Peter not skateboard in the comics or shows is quite a small gripe. The captured his spirit perfect, a shy kid who gets more power then he understands, gets cockey and because of this loses what he loves most, and finally realizes the responsibility he has with this new power.
I guess connor's could have been more developed but he got quite a bit of screen time and i can cite quite a few scenes where he feels conflicted (when normans goon tells him to experiment on veterans and in the sewer)
Finally the new movie. I was quite shocked (no pun intended) when the announced the villans. Rhino and Electro seemed to be two of the weakest characters I could think of. The best arcs from the comics are by far green goblin, symbiote/venom, and human spider. And while the rhino is the last villan I would have chosen Paul giamatti would be my first choice. The guy can flat out act (watch The Illusionist and John Adams). For all we know he may just be a gangster with alot of smashing toys (but i wouldnt mind him cgied up like the lizard). Of course this is just my opinion but it is one from a long time spidey-fan. Let's keep this discussion going

97point6

Great post, excellent insight. Mind if I stay here awhile?

Fidel Reyes

I agree, and I think they stayed faithful to the comic book Peter Parker, but at the same time they did make him modern and relate able, me for example, I relate to him, when the movie came out I was 17 and I notice that most people think that Peter needs to be geeky, accident prone, and goofy, he isn't like that he's shy, outcasted, has a lot of potential and confidence that he discovers after the spider bite, in particular when he uses his intellect to invent the web shooters I found it awesome that we were able to see how confident and smart he truly is, in this movie. I liked the fact that he not only discovered to use his powers better but that he discovered to use his natural talents to his advantage as well.

d'oh!

I'll pass. The first Marc Webb Spider-man movie was a$$.

quazimotto

Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti, Emma Stone? What's not to like? Except for having two of the most throwawayable villains ever facing off against a surprisingly dickhead Peter Parker?
Talent all over this film and it already wreaks of turd. I'll pass.

shamanjao

Isn't Rhino a stuntman, who was wearing a rhino costume but can't just take it off? Unless his origins were changed by some new spiderman authors